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Credit, debit card abuse on the rise

Credit and debit card abuse is on the rise in this area.Lt. Anthony Griffin of the Borger Police Department said that during the last part of November into the first part of this month, the department has received a large number of reports from financial institutions, as well as individuals, regarding credit card and debit card abuse.“These cases are primarily occurring within the United States, with charges being made by illegally obtained credit/debit card numbers, all across the United States,” he said.The department is actively investigating these incidents with assistance from the United States Secret Service. Lt. Griffin said the U.S. Secret Service has made one arrest, and this suspect remains in custody at this date and time.“The U.S. Secret Service is in the process of taking over these investigations to be further investigated on the Federal Level,” he said.He said the type of crime related to these incidents is one in which the suspect or suspects obtains a customer’s credit or debit card information and makes various purchases without consent from the card holder. The method of obtaining the information is still being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.Lt. Griffin said that if anyone discovers they have or may have become a victim of credit or debit card abuse, he or she needs to contact their financial institution to find out how to proceed.Many financial institutions require a police report number. However, some of the financial institutions have filed reports with police and it may not be necessary to get an additional report number. If the financial institution asks for you as the reporting person to have a police report number, please contact the City of Borger Police Department at 806-273-0930 or in person at 611 North Weatherly.